


haircuts

by bitterepiphany



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Dear Evan Hansen References, F/M, Fluff, High School, Romance, annie is such a softie, armin is a theatre boy, dear evan hansen song references, theyre perfect for each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:06:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitterepiphany/pseuds/bitterepiphany
Summary: armin arlert is a cute little theatre boyannie leonhardt is your stereotypical loner typehitch ships it
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Hitch Dreyse & Annie Leonhart
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	1. does anybody have a map?

Annie Leonhardt was not a subtle starer. She never looked at anyone for longer than a few seconds at a time, even during conversations, so Hitch found it rather amusing when she discovered her friend rather obviously ogling a certain blonde head of hair in front of them for more than three-quarters of their advanced biology class. 

Hitch Dreyse was tempted to chide the girl for not paying attention in class; their half-yearlies were coming up rather quickly, after all, but she doubted Annie would listen to her. But Hitch was rather curious as to why  _ this  _ boy in particular had caught someone like Annie Leonhardt’s attention. She waited until their professor Hange gave them a few minutes to pack up, leaned over, and rested her elbow on Annie’s shoulder. 

“So, Armin Arlert, huh?”

Annie’s reaction was immediate. Her head snapped around to face Hitch, her usually half-lidded eyes stretched wide with shock. A faint pink blush was spreading over her cheeks.

“W-what?” Hitch’s grin stretched wider at Annie’s attempt at sounding nonchalant. 

“C’mon Annie, don’t act dumb,” she teased, “It’s pretty obvious when you stare you know.”

Annie flushed a deeper red, turning away abruptly. She began to shove her things in her bag roughly. She stood, brushing her bangs behind her ear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled, striding away quickly as soon as the bell rang.

“Ooh, Annie, darling,” Hitch crooned at her retreating back, “You’re not a very good liar..!”

Chuckling, Hitch barely caught the vulgar gesture Annie threw at her behind her back. She slowly began to pack her things away.

Hitch and Annie had an  _ interesting  _ friendship, to say the least. While Hitch was bubbly, outgoing, and popular (at least that's what she  _ thought, well hoped  _ people thought of her), Annie, decidedly, was  _ not _ . Loner, was a pretty good word to describe the girl. She was quiet, unassuming, and pretty much kept to herself. In their freshman and sophomore years of highschool, Annie was one of the few kids who never attended a party, though not because she was disliked or unpopular; rather, she was always invited, but she just never showed up. But following Hitch’s discovery after an interesting English project together that Annie was, underneath that cold exterior, actually quite an interesting person, she made an effort to befriend the girl and bring her to social gatherings. 

Hitch was proud enough to have the honour of being the person who brought Annie to the first whole year party of junior year, and since then, they had maintained an unconventional friendship. It had served useful for Hitch, as Annie was pretty smart and, surprisingly, skilled at forging signatures for late notes, and usually only requested a packet of something sweet, like donuts, in return for a favour. Annie had gotten Hitch out of a particularly tough spot after almost being caught in the boys change room one time (Hitch resolved  _ never  _ to go that far for a boy  _ ever again) _ , and Hitch was prepared to cover for Annie if her forging exploits were ever exposed. 

One thing Hitch had never managed to get out of Annie however, was boys. Before befriending Hitch and occasionally hanging out with her, when she wasn’t alone, Annie was often in the presence of two other boys in their year; Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. What puzzled Hitch about this however, was that the three seemed to be stuck in some weird, broken, love triangle. Bertholdt was hopelessly -  _ pathetically, really -  _ smitten with Annie, but she barely spared him a glance on a good day, and Reiner was clearly pining after his best friend Bertholdt, despite how hard he tried to hide it. From what Hitch had gathered, the three were old family friends, so they gravitated towards each other naturally. 

Hitch was dragged out of her musings by a sudden bang on the classroom door. She looked up, and saw a certain brown-haired boy bashing his fist against the doorframe. 

“Armin!” Eren Yeager called out, “What’s taking you so long man, I don’t feel like lining up for my lunch forever!”

A head of black hair poked over his shoulder and grimaced slightly in Armin’s direction. “It’s only been a minute since the bell went, Eren,” Mikasa Ackerman chided. Armin laughed and apologised, grabbing his bag and joining the duo in walking down the hallway. 

Hitch made her way behind them, keeping her eyes trained on the mop of blonde hair as he chatted animatedly with his best friends. Hitch was intrigued at how this small, unassuming boy had caught the attention of her ‘I-don’t-get-along-with-people-so-leave-me-alone-if-I-don’t-know-you’ friend. As far as Hitch was aware, she had never seen Annie and Armin interact outside of a classroom setting. 

Armin Arlert was an interesting boy. In the early years of high school, he was quiet, but an absolute genius in the classroom, and it soon became commonplace for him to be topping every subject he took. But it was impossible to resent the kid for it, since he was  _ so damn nice _ all the time and would happily assist anyone with their studies if they needed it. Though it also couldn’t hurt that Eren Yeager and, more scarily, Mikasa Ackerman, would beat the ass of anyone who dared look funny at the kid. By now, in Senior year, Armin had a little following of kids who he helped study in the library every week. 

Hitch knew him as a part of the theatre club. He certainly didn’t look it, but he had a surprising amount of presence on stage for such a small boy. He was cute and short, with his classic blonde bob haircut that hung around his face. Armin had a sweet higher-pitched voice compared to the other boys, and was often cast to play younger characters, but he never seemed to mind, simply enjoying being part of productions. 

Hitch entered the cafeteria, glancing around and spotting the person she was looking for. She made her way over and plunked her stuff down next to Annie, who was picking away at a pastry. The other girl looked at her, frowning slightly. She probably expected Hitch to continue teasing her about the Biology class. Hitch just grinned at her cheekily, pulling out her food. Other people filed into the space, and a few friends of hers and Annie’s sitting at the table with them. Hitch winked at Marlowe opposite her, who just looked confused, and waved at Pieck, who stuck her tongue out in response. 

Hitch leaned over to the dark-haired girl, glancing at Annie. “I think Annie’s got a crush,” she whispered to Pieck. The girl gasped softly, hand clapping over her mouth.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Hitch nodded, still whispering so she wouldn’t risk a kick to her shins from the blonde girl. “She wouldn’t stop staring at him during Bio…”

Pieck hummed, lips parting to presumably ask who, exactly, Annie was staring at, but was interrupted by a  _ smack,  _ as a pissed-off looking Reiner approached their table, whacking Porco on the side of the head, who spat out his milk, as he passed.

“What the fuck, man?”

Hitch decided then was a good time to zone out their conversation as angry swearing buzzed in her ears. She looked at Annie. Her friend’s head was tilted down at her pastry, but Hitch could see her eyes were angled to look at something on their right. Hitch followed her gaze,  _ very amused  _ to see they were looking directly at the table where Eren Yeager and a certain one of his friends were sitting. 

Hitch supposed it wasn’t  _ that  _ surprising Annie had taken an interest in Armin. He was extremely sweet and nice, and  _ very _ intelligent. Hitch looked at him as he turned his head and laughed at something Eren was saying. Armin wasn’t  _ bad  _ to look at, she guessed. He had certainly grown up over the years, and there  _ was  _ more of a noticeable change that she could see in him after the summer. He had grown a good couple of inches taller, and he had lost some of the baby fat around his face, showing off his impressively sharp jawline.

_ Well, I suppose a late glow-up is better than no glow up at all,  _ Hitch mused, a plan forming in her mind. She had made up her mind. If Annie was interested in Armin, what kind of friend would Hitch be if she didn’t become the best wing-girl there was in this lousy school?

Glancing at Annie and throwing a grin over at Pieck, Hitch stood, striding over to where Armin was seated. Slipping into the gap beside him, she ignored the break in conversation and bewildered stares sent her way, just focusing on Armin.

He looked a bit confused, but smiled at her all the same. “Uh, hey Hitch! Is there something you needed?”

Hitch glanced back at the other table. Annie was staring at her, eyes wide, a red flush creeping up her neck. Hitch smiled sweetly at her, and winked, before turning back to Armin. “Why yes Armin, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“See, I saw the posting for the cast list for ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. I saw that  _ you - “  _ she poked him on the shoulder, ‘ - got the leading role, huh? Look at you!”

Armin blushed, hand drifting back to scratch at his neck awkwardly. “Ah, yeah I guess I did,” he said, eyes glued to the table. He looked at her briefly. “You got Alana Beck right?” Hitch nodded. “Congrats to you too!”

Hitch smiled at him. He  _ really _ was too pure for this world. “But there’s an issue, mister!” She poked him again.

“T-there is?”

“Yeah,” she frowned, sticking her hand out and flicked his long hair. “This is the problem.”

His hands jumped up to his head, clutching at the blonde locks anxiously. “My hair?”

Hitch nodded earnestly. “You turned 18, what… a couple months ago, and you expect to play Evan Hansen looking like that?” She looked him directly in the eyes. “You need a new look Armin, and I have just the plan for you.”

Hands still tugging at his hair, he looked back at her sheepishly. “I mean, I guess... I -”

“I told you Armin! I told you! That old hair is so middle school!”

Eren’s voice suddenly interjected into their conversation, his friend leaning around Mikasa, punching Armin in the arm. Armin yelped softly, rubbing the spot. It appeared that the hot-headed kid  _ had  _ been listening in, after all. 

Armin glanced between Hitch and Eren, looking panicked. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay, fine. What do you have in mind, Hitch?”

_ Bingo. Bless his willing heart. _

Hitch beamed, slinging an arm around Armin’s shoulders. “I have a friend, Annie Leonhardt, she’s in a few of your classes I think, and she is a great hairstylist. I can ask her to cut your hair for you?”

Armin’s eyes widened slightly, eyes flicking to where Annie sat, presumably watching them. “Annie? Are you sure she’d want to do that for me?”

Hitch began to stand, ruffling his hair lightly. “Don’t worry, she’ll be at rehearsal tomorrow afternoon, and you two can organise it then, okay?”

“O-okay?”

Hitch smiled, waved, and began walking back to Annie. Her friend glared at her when she sat down. “What did you say to him?” Annie hissed.

“Oh, Annie, who said I was talking to him about you?” Hitch teased, “So you  _ do  _ admit you’re interested in him?”

Annie’s eyes grew even wider, and she began to stutter. “No, that- that’s not what I meant, I just-”

Hitch cackled, resting her hand on Annie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Annie~, I’ve got you. See, little old Armin has the lead role in the musical, but he needs a haircut. And luckily for you,” she grinned, “I happened to recommend  _ you  _ as the person who can do it for him! So, I’ll be bringing you to rehearsal tomorrow afternoon, and you two can sort it out, okie-dokie?”

Annie just stared at her. 

“What.”

“You are free tomorrow afternoon right?” Hitch asked.

“Uh, yeah, but-”

The bell rang shrily, making Annie jump. Hitch blew a kiss in her direction as she began to walk away. “Then I’ll see you after class tomorrow then! Look forward to it!”

Annie just stared, a surprisingly open, shocked look on her face.

****

Annie wasn’t sure why she agreed to do this. But for some reason, she found herself following Hitch as they walked to the auditorium, after the girl ambushed her at her locker and dragged her away. Annie was sure Hitch wouldn’t  _ really  _ try to stop her from leaving if she decided she wasn’t going to follow along, but Annie couldn’t bring herself to walk away for some reason.

Her friend was too damn perceptive for her own good. Even Annie wasn’t entirely sure why Armin Arlert had caught her attention all of a sudden, but she couldn’t seem to keep her thoughts away from him these days. Annie  _ knew  _ what a crush was, of course, but she had never experienced it before, previously content to ignore basically all social interaction so she could graduate and get the fuck away from her restrictive lifestyle.

She had always tolerated the boy more than others in the past years; he was just too nice and innocent and Annie couldn’t bring herself to brush him off like everyone else. But since the beginning of Senior year ( _ or maybe it was the middle of junior year, after his performance in ‘The Book Of Mormon’, she wasn’t sure) _ , he became more  _ present  _ to her, for some unknown reason. Maybe it was the way his face had gotten sharper, stronger looking, or maybe it was how his extra inches of height seemed to fill him out more, defining his lean but toned body, or maybe it was the way she wondered what it might feel like to be cared for by someone who seemed to love so  _ unconditionally. _

_ Stop. Why would he want some nobody like you _ .

Annie shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts as she and Hitch walked through the auditorium doors. Hitch bounded off, spouting greetings to her fellow castmates. Annie was overcome with that uncomfortable feeling of ‘ _ I am not supposed to be here’ _ . She stood awkwardly, until Ms Ral, one of the assistant teachers for the production, approached her.

“Annie, what are you doing here?”

“Uh...” Annie blanked for a moment. What was she doing here? “I’m here to talk to Armin?” She sounded like she was asking a question. “Um, about his hair.”

“Oh yes, yes that’s you Annie!” Ms Ral broke into a wide smile. “Armin mentioned it to me before. I think he’s in the change rooms right now, but you can talk to him when he comes out.”

Annie thanked her, feeling a little less like a fish out of water in this environment. She contented herself by watching and listening to Hitch and a group of some other girls warm up their voices, getting a bit caught up as they ran up and down scales repeatedly. 

“Annie! Hey! Thanks for coming!” 

She was jolted out of her stupor by the voice of the boy she came here for. Armin was dressed in a simple black getup, black jeans and a simple black t-shirt. Now that she noticed it,  _ all  _ the people here were dressed in black. It suited him, his t-shirt fitting him quite snugly, defining his lean torso. 

“Annie?”

_ Shit.  _ She was staring. 

_ Pull yourself together Leonhardt.  _

Annie stood and managed to muster a small smile at him. “Sorry, yeah, you wanna chat about your hair now?”

“Sure!”

He gestured to a quieter corner of the auditorium, and she followed him and sat down crossed legged on a big fuzzy box thing. He sat directly next to her, meaning she had to turn her body to face him. She cursed her feelings for making her feel so damn nervous when she was near him. 

They didn’t speak for a moment, just glancing to and away from each other awkwardly. Annie decided to suck it up, asking, “Uh, so do you know how you wanna cut it?” 

“O-oh yeah!” he sounded flustered, hand reaching up to run through his locks. “I talked to Mikasa, and she thinks that having it short, kinda like Eren’s, but with like an undercut kinda thing?” 

Annie tilted her head, trying to picture it.  _ Not bad, Mikasa.  _ She could see it. 

“Yeah. Yeah I think that’ll work… I can do that.”

His eyes brightened almost comically, and he smiled so wide, Annie’s stomach lurched. “Really?” he gasped, “Oh thank you so much Annie, you’re the best!! I’ll pay you, if you want, I don’t want you to do it for free!” 

Annie was blushing now at his offhand compliments, and she shook her head. “N-no it’s okay,” she mumbled, ducking her head. He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. 

“I mean if you want to get me something in return, you can… you can bring donuts..?” Her voice trailed off as her cheeks reddened even harder, her eyes refusing to meet his. 

“Donuts?”

“...yeah, any kind really...”

Armin burst out in laughter. Annie couldn’t help the small smile that curled her lips as she looked at how damn  _ happy  _ he looked. 

“Donuts it is then! I’m free on… uh let’s see,” he pulled out his phone, “I can do Thursday afternoon? Oh… is there somewhere you wanna take me to do it or..?”

“Oh no not really, I can come over to your house if that’s okay.”

Armin nodded tapping something into his phone, biting his lip lightly. “Yeah that should be fine. I’ll have to tell Grandad,” he mumbled, more to himself then anything, “But I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

He nodded, looking back up at Annie with a grin. He slipped off the cube. “Thanks so much Annie! I’ll see you Thursday then!” He jogged off with a wave. 

Annie found herself waving back, a bubble of warmth growing in her chest. She heard a small ‘whoop’ from behind her as she began to walk to the doors. She turned, finding Hitch smirking at her, thumbs up. Annie frowned. Hitch just giggled, blowing her a kiss and winking as she turned away. 

Even her friend’s teasing couldn’t pop that bubble of warmth in Annie’s chest. 

****

Armin waited nervously by Annie’s locker Thursday afternoon as she packed her stuff away. He had caught her the other day and they had exchanged phone numbers. They had exchanged a few messages that day.

_**Thursday, 11:30 a.m.** _

_**To Annie** _

_ -hey annie! armin here! _

  
  


_ -hi armin _

  
  


_ -just double checking  _ _ everything is ok  _ _ for this afternoon? _

  
  


_ -yeah _

  
  


_ -cool! just wondering  _ _ if it’s okay if we walk  _ _ to my place? it’s only  _ _ about 15 mins away _

  
  


_ -fine by me. meet me at  _ _ my locker after 6th? _

  
  


_ -great! i’ll see u then! :) _

  
  
  
  


“Ready?”

Armin blinked. Annie was standing in front of him, eyebrows raised slightly. She held a plastic shopping bag in her hand; Armin presumed it held supplies for cutting his hair. 

“Oh, yeah, let’s go!”

Annie trailed behind him as they left the school grounds and he led the way to his house. They walked together in a comfortable silence for a while. The weather was pleasant, sunny with a cool breeze blowing at their backs.

_ Why am I thinking about the weather, of all things? _

“Um, Armin?” He turned to the girl behind him as she spoke suddenly. 

“I was wondering if you had your license? I wouldn’t ask, it’s only that I don’t, and I live on the other side of town, and I’m not sure how long this’ll take, so…”

“Oh do you need a lift?”

She nodded. “If that’s ok… I can just call a taxi if not, it’s no big deal-”

“No, Annie it’s fine!” Armin interrupted, “I don’t drive much because I love so close to school but it’s totally fine! In fact, I’d prefer to take you then have you go in a taxi after dark…” He rubbed his neck sheepishly at that, feeling a blush creeping up his neck.

Annie didn’t say anything for a moment, but when he turned back at her he saw a similar flush adorning her cheeks. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

Armin was saved from his suddenly scrambled thoughts - a result of seeing her pink face, he suspected - as they approached his house. He waved her up the driveway and unlocked the door, letting her through first. 

“I’m home!” 

He waited for the usual response from his Grandad, but none came. 

“Hmm, he must be out getting shopping or something… okay, come upstairs then, you can drop your stuff in my room.”

Armin had lived with his Grandfather since he was four years old, after his parents left on a trip to Europe, promising to return after six months. They never did. Armin was too young at the time to understand they had effectively abandoned him; there was never a need for a missing person’s case or police searching - any police found them just fine and they simply refused to return home. He was put into his Grandad’s care after that, and Armin had never had the time nor the energy to really investigate or ponder why his parents had left him behind; he had always figured it was a thing to think about when he was older. 

But now he had just turned eighteen years old, and any memories he possessed of his parents were just brief flashes of feelings and sound. He had pictures of them of course, but looking at them had never really brought about that sense of  _ yeah that’s my family _ , the familiarity that came with being raised by someone lost on them and placed instead on his Grandad. His Grandfather had been willing to answer basic questions about his parents if he had them, but always insisted that if it was something Armin really wanted to pursue, he would have to do it himself. But Armin never did. 

_ Maybe one day after I graduate… _

They made their way up the stairs of the two-storey house, and Armin let them into his room. Annie stood in the doorway for a moment and just stared. 

It was a fairly normal room, Armin thought, with blue-painted walls and the usual furniture; a double bed with similarly blue covers; a desk with a monitor and a PC computer that glowed with multicoloured parts; and a bookcase filled with a range of books. Seeming to realise she was staring, she walked in and placed her bag next to his desk, and slipping off her shoes.

“It’s nice,” she commented.

“Oh, thanks.” They stood there for a minute, awkwardness threatening to bleed into the moment, before Armin broke the silence again. “Should we go to the bathroom? I think Grandad left some stuff in there that he thought might be helpful.”

“Okay.”   
  


As they entered the bathroom, Armin realised that there was something missing that might cause a problem. “Ah, we don’t have a seat or anything…” he ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. “I could probably get one from the dining room, but that might be too tall…”

“It’s fine, we can sit in the bathtub.”

Unsure if she was making a joke or not, he looked at her, bewildered. When they had held eye contact for a good five seconds and her expression hadn’t changed, Armin decided that she was not, in fact, joking. 

“I mean if that works for you?”

She just nodded, setting her bag of hair supplies on the edge of the tub. She gestured for him to sit down. He clambered into the bath as gracefully as he could (he came  _ this  _ close to slipping over on his face and making a fool of himself), and sat down. Annie gestured at a towel hanging on the back of the door.

“Can I use this?”

“Yeah,” Armin nodded, and she grabbed it, swinging it around so it rested on his shoulders, acting as a makeshift hairdresser’s cape. She settled behind him, causing him to shiver when she ran her hands through his hair suddenly, pulling it back over the towel. 

“So, I’ve got red and lime green, that’s the colours you wanted, right?” 

“W-what?” Armin turned around to look at her. She deadpanned. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then she broke into a breathy laugh, eyes crinkling with pleasure. 

“Ah, Armin, that was a joke,” she giggled, hand moving to cover her mouth. “You should have seen your face!”

She continued to chuckle. Armin couldn’t help but join her; her amusement was possibly one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. He resolved to try and make her laugh as often as possible.

She was still giggling softly as she began to run her fingers through his hair, feeling it out. They lapsed into silence as she grabbed a spray bottle, and she began to work, wetting it down and running a comb through the knots.

“You have really nice hair,” she murmured, “It’s really thick for a boy.”

Armin hummed, slightly lost in the way her fingers felt running across his scalp. 

They lapsed into silence after that, the only words spoken coming from Annie as she requested him to move his head slightly to get the right angles. He couldn’t help his initial flinches as he felt her fingers run across his neck on occasion, couldn’t help the shivers running up his spine when her breath brushed against his skin. She would rotate around him, scissors and comb in hand, tilting her head this way and that as she concentrated on his hair, tongue trapped beneath her teeth as she snipped away. Armin was entranced by how utterly  _ focused  _ she became as she worked on him; it reminded him of how it felt when he got drawn into a good book, or lost himself when he was singing a song on stage. 

Armin’s Grandad arrived home when Annie brought out the clippers, preparing to work on the undercut he asked for. Armin heard the door close, footsteps moving about downstairs.

“You here, Armin?”

“In the bathroom, Grandad!” he called out.

Annie paused in her work as the older man made his way up the stairs and appeared in the doorway. “Why hello there! You must be Annie, Armin mentioned you were coming over!” He smiled warmly at the girl. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too sir.”

“Will you be staying for dinner? I was just about to whip something up quickly.”

Annie glanced over at Armin. Armin nodded at her in encouragement. “Well, I guess if you’ll have me, sir, I’d be grateful,” she said politely.

Grandad clapped his hands. “Fantastic! I’ll set the table for three then!” His eyes landed on Armin, who was sitting in a pile of his own hair in the bathtub. “Looking good, Armin!” he chuckled, making his way back downstairs. 

Annie went back to plugging in the clippers. They settled back into their quiet rhythm, the soft buzz of the clippers and Annie’s soft voice the only sounds permeating the room. Finally, Armin was roused from his dream-like trance - induced by Annie’s soft fingers running through his scalp intoxicatingly - when she unwrapped the towel from his shoulders and ruffled his hair slightly, leaning around him to look at it from the front. 

She bit her lip, fingers brushing back his bangs. “I think it’s done,” she murmured.

They stepped out of the tub, and Armin hesitantly turned to face the mirror. His eyes widened, and he had to consciously stop his jaw from dropping. His hair was noticeably shorter, no longer in a bob framing his face. His bangs were the same length, falling over his eyebrows, but the rest of his hair was shorter, and it all fell over a short undercut. The result made him look… older? Less boyish? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that he loved it. 

He turned to Annie. She was watching him with a nervous look on her face, obviously trying to gauge his reaction. “Annie,” he ran his fingers through it, marvelling at how  _ different _ it felt. “It’s amazing! Thank you so much!”

Annie’s shoulders relaxed; she was obviously relieved at his reaction. She smiled softly at him. He felt something catch in chest. Suddenly, he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. Almost trancelike, he stared at her and took a step forward. Her eyes widened slightly. His hand reached out with the intent to cup her cheek.

“Dinner’s ready, you kids!”

And just like that, the spell was broken. Armin and Annie flinched, the former jumping back almost comically, blushing furiously. Annie avoided his eyes, glancing around at the mess in the bathtub.

_ Fuck. _

“Uh, don’t worry about that right now Annie,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, fingers gliding over the new undercut. “Let’s go have some dinner downstairs.”

“Okay.”

****

After a filling dinner of lasagna, with his Grandad showering Annie in compliments about how good of a job she did on his hair, Armin got permission to take his car and drop her home. Ducking into the fridge while she waited by the car, Armin grabbed the box he was looking for. He made his way outside, and approached the blonde girl leaning against the car door, face illuminated by her phone. 

“Here, Annie,” he smiled at her, extending the box in his hands out at her. She took it, peeking inside. It was donuts, and her eyebrows raised in pleasure. “Payment and thanks for doing such an amazing job on my hair.”

“Ah… thanks, Armin.”

They hopped in the car, Armin easing it back across the driveway, and pulling out on the road. He was amused to see Annie eagerly open the box, examine the variety of donuts inside, before grabbing a plain glazed one and biting into it. She hummed in pleasure, eyes closed. It was possibly the cutest thing Armin had ever seen. 

“These are good,” she mumbled, mouth still filled with donut.

He laughed. “I’m glad you like them.”

Armin was astonished to see her finish three whole, good sized donuts during the time it took for her to direct him to her apartment block. He pulled into the carpark, and she shifted slightly, balancing her donut box carefully as she grabbed her bags. 

“Well, I’ll see you around then?” She stepped out of the car awkwardly, eyes lingering on him. 

Unsure whether to walk her to the door of the apartments, he ran a hand through his new hair. “Yeah, I guess,” he replied, feeling awkward all of a sudden. “Thanks again for the haircut, Annie.”

She smiled a bit at that, and waved softly, before turning and walking to the door.

Armin’s mind raced. There were so many feelings that had become un-suppressed in these few hours they spent together, and now he couldn’t help but feel like he was letting some crucial opportunity pass by. Just as she reached the landing, he made up his mind.

Jumping out of the car, he called out to her.

“Annie!”

She turned, looking surprised. He jogged up to her, face burning.

“I- I, uh wanted to thank you again for today. I mean, uh, like this, I guess..”

Before he lost his nerve, he stepped closer, looking into her wide eyes. He leaned forward, and gently pressed his lips to hers. He felt her body tense up, but she didn’t pull away. A few seconds passed, and he straightened. She just stood there, and the look on her face reminded Armin of a deer stuck in headlights. 

_ Shit. She didn’t want that. _

He tilted his head up, grateful for the darkening sky that concealed his flaming face. “Uh, well, yeah. Sorry. Goodnight, Annie.” He turned away, feeling like an idiot.

“Armin, wait.”

Armin froze, shocked. 

_ Surely not. _

He turned slowly, and saw Annie placing her donuts and bags on the ground. She pushed her bangs behind her ears and strode up to him. Before he could process what was happening, she grabbed his shirt, pulled him down, and kissed him. 

And just like that, it all clicked into place. He melted into her grasp, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other coming to rest on her cheek. She tasted sweet, the donut glaze lingering on her tongue. Her lips were softer than he could have ever imagined. 

They stood there, wrapped up in each other for what felt like eternity, but was likely only a few minutes. Eventually, they parted, hands still lingering on each other, unwilling to let go. Annie gazed into his eyes, a slightly starstruck look lingering in hers. Armin was sure he looked no better.

“Uh, well, you’re welcome, I guess?” she whispered.

A wide grin split his face. Chuckling, he pulled her in again. And again. 

Armin resolved to thank Hitch for her haircut suggestion as soon as possible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone!! if this was familiar, it's because it was a repost of the haircuts oneshot i made for my other series [heartbeats](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29828958/chapters/73392072)
> 
> but since i liked it so much and you guys seemed interested, i've made it into a little series!!!
> 
> chapter two is done but needs editing and should be out tomorrow!
> 
> check out my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bitterepiphany) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/bitterepiphany)!!
> 
> as always, thanks for reading!!


	2. waving through a window

Annie’s phone was silent. Throughout the whole bus trip to school, she kept glancing at it, looking for a certain boy’s messages. But much to her disappointment, Armin hadn’t even sent her a ‘thanks for tonight!’ or an ‘i had fun!’ after he dropped her off last night. 

She had gone to bed, giddy with what had just happened in the walkway. They had kissed until her lips felt swollen and he had to drag himself away from her, claiming that his Grandfather would be on his back if he took too long. 

But now the night had passed, and she hadn’t received a single ounce of communication from the boy. Feeling put off and slightly used, Annie hopped off the bus and made her way to her locker, pushing her way through the throngs of kids making their way to class - the bell had gone as she arrived. 

Glancing at her timetable, Annie saw she had Maths first up, then Bio. She was a little apprehensive about seeing Armin, given his radio silence following their kiss, but she supposed it was as good a time as any to confront him about it - after class, that is; she didn’t need the odd stares from her classmates, or, even worse, Hitch butting into their business.

First period passed painfully slowly as Annie anticipated Biology, but, life being the bitch that it was, she grew nervous during Bio, and _that_ meant it passed by in a flash. 

She arrived before Armin and Hitch, and busied herself with getting her books out, then scrolled through her phone aimlessly, avoiding looking at the rest of her classmates. As a result, she didn’t notice Armin when he entered, subsequently missing the lingering look he gave her, uncertainty on his face, and was only alerted to his presence by comments from her classmates about his hair.

“Dayum Armin, nice haircut! It suits you man!”

At the sound of Jean’s loud voice, Annie glanced towards the front of the room. There he was, seated at his desk, only the back of his head visible to her. She found herself reliving the feel of his lips on hers, the way one of his hands cradled her cheek, and became so lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice Hitch sitting down beside her. 

Luckily, Annie was saved from any questioning by the girl by the arrival of Professor Zoe, who immediately began prattling on about some experiment they were going to try with bacteria and agar plates. Annie was snapped out of her daze and glanced at Hitch, who raised her eyebrows questioningly, gesturing to where Armin was sitting. Annie just shook her head at her friend, looking back towards Professor Zoe, who was handing out worksheets in preparation for the practical.

The lesson flew by far faster than Annie was comfortable with, but Hitch leapt on her immediately as soon as the bell went, so she couldn’t confront him immediately. When she managed to shake off the girl, Annie was annoyed to see that Armin had already left, likely headed to the cafeteria for their first break. She could theoretically talk to him there, but the thought of all his friends staring at her as she asked him why he hadn’t texted her after he _kissed her_ was too mortifying to even think about. 

She ate recess in relative quiet, ignoring Hitch’s pestering questions, until the girl finally got the hint and shut up about what happened last night. The rest of the day passed as usual, until Annie saw that she had gym last period. She had gym with Armin. She made up her mind to talk to him then, or not at all. Her schedule hadn’t put them together for many classes and she refused to even look at where he usually sat during breaks.

Annie finally succumbed to Hitch in the change rooms - she had gym with Hitch too.

“Annie! You have to tell me what happened last night,” the girl exclaimed, cornering her by the lockers. “You’ve looked _miserable_ today, like more than normal! I know you cut his hair, everyone can see it! Did he say something shitty? Not bring any sweets for you?”

She was dead serious, Annie could tell from the look in her eyes. Annie sighed, deciding if anyone could know and not judge her, it was Hitch. 

“It was fine, like he didn’t do anything.” Annie hesitated, glancing away from Hitch’s insistent stare. “He was really nice, he brought me donuts, I ate dinner with him and his Grandfather, and… and he- he kissed me?” She ducked her head, cheeks flaming as she recalled the moment for the umpteenth time that day.

Hitch’s mouth dropped open. She stared at Annie for a few seconds. Then she _squealed_ , jumping around, waving her hands.

“Oh. My. God. Annie! That’s incredible! How was it? Was he good- wait. If he kissed you, why are you miserable?” she asked.

“Uh,” Annie’s shoulders slumped as she sighed again. “It was good, like _really good,_ but after he left he didn’t text me, at all. And I’ve heard nothing at all today either? So I was gonna talk to him now, but I don’t know what to say?”

Hitch’s expression had shifted from gleeful to thunderous as Annie spoke. “That _dick!”_ she hissed, frowning, “Oh I _will_ have a word with that boy about how to treat a girl!”

“Oh no, no Hitch it’s okay!” Annie waved her hands in a placating manner. “I’ll talk to him, okay. It’s better coming from me, I think.”

“Are you sure? I can be _really_ intimidating when I need to be!”

“No Hitch, I can handle it” Annie assured. 

The bell rang, signalling them to get to the gym. Annie and Hitch made their way out of the change rooms, joining the rest of the class as they gathered around Coach Woermann. They were playing dodgeball. _Perfect_. 

Annie managed to position herself so she got allocated to the same group as Armin, who hadn’t even looked at her, and when the game started, she nodded to Hitch, who was on the opposing team. 

Armin got out quickly; he wasn’t very athletic _at all_ , in fact, he was pretty hopeless at all sports. After sharing a glance with Hitch, the other girl threw a ball in her direction that Annie just _happened_ to not see, and it hit her on leg.

“Back of the court Leonhardt!” Coach Woermann yelled at her. Annie glanced over her shoulder as she walked off. Hitch winked at her and gave a small thumbs up. There were only two other kids out from their team at the moment; Armin and another boy whose name fled her mind at that moment. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her writhing stomach, Annie approached Armin. His eyes locked onto her immediately, and she saw his throat bob as he swallowed. She raised her head to lock eyes with him.

“Uh…” Armin started. “Hey, Annie?”

She stared hard at him. All of a sudden she was _furious_ . How _dare he_ kiss her like _that_ and then just ignore her? 

“Don’t ‘ _hey’_ me.” She growled, scowling. 

Armin’s eyes widened slightly. He had that look on his face that she would see when she used to snap at people back in Freshman and Sophomore year. It was the ‘ _shit I’ve pissed her off, oh fuck how do I get out of here’_ look. 

“Annie?” He was trying to play it off, but she could tell he knew _exactly_ why she was pissed off. 

Annie was not known for being subtle. So she _might_ have gone off at him a bit too hard when she finally snapped.

“Don’t act all innocent!” she hissed, barely keeping her composure calm enough to not yell. “You just go and.. and do _that_ with me last night, but then you just _ignore me_ today? Not even a text? Nothing? Well, you should have made it more clear to me that I was being used, or I never would have let you _touch_ me!”

He was staring at her, eyes wide, incredulous. Glancing at Coach Woermann and seeing that he was focused on the game, Armin took her by the arm and walked her outside of the gym to the courtyard. Too shocked by the sudden action to shake him off, she followed. They stopped under a tree, and Armin turned to her with his hands raised.

“Annie, I’m really, really sorry!” he cried out vehemently, making her blink. She crossed her arms as he continued. “I didn’t mean to come off like that, I swear! I would never use you! I- I’ve just never done something like that before, and -” his hand rubbed the back of his neck “- I wasn’t sure if you liked it? And I really do like you… a lot! But I don’t think you feel that way about me, s-so I didn’t think you’d want me to be bothering you after that and I -”

He was rambling. Annie just looked at him. It felt like there was a tight knot of tension in her chest, and it was unravelling, leaving her feeling so impossibly light. _He liked her._

Armin was still babbling on, and, suddenly not needing to hear his excuses anymore, all anger gone, Annie stepped up to him; in a mirror to her actions the night before, she grabbed his shirt, making him stutter, reached up on her tip-toes, and pressed her lips to his. He visibly relaxed, hands coming to rest on her shoulders.

“You’re such an idiot,” she mumbled, face red when they parted, “I wouldn’t be doing _that_ if I didn’t like you, would I?”

He laughed sheepishly, face looking as red as hers felt. “I suppose so, huh?”

She smirked at him, then glanced back at the gym doors. “We should probably get back before Coach notices we’re missing.”

Annie turned and began to walk back, before his voice called out to her again.

“Annie, wait a second!”

She stopped. Armin made his way up to her and caused her to start slightly by gently taking one of her hands in both of his. He looked her resolutely in the eyes.

“Uhm… I wanted to ask you if maybe,” he said, “You wanted to do something on the weekend? We could go see a movie, or get something to eat, or -”

“You wanna go on a date?” Annie interrupted.

“Yeah? Only if you wanted to though -”

“Armin!” she exclaimed, other hand coming up to squeeze his. “Of course I will! God, stop second-guessing yourself!” She hesitated for a moment, before continuing. “I wanna try this, too, okay?”

To say his face lit up was an understatement. His mouth broke into such a wide smile, it was like the sun was shining out of it. He leaned down, kissing her quickly, softly, and he startled a smile out of her. Still smiling, he led her back into the gym.

***

Armin shivered slightly. It was still winter, and the weather was not being kind today, a harsh breeze following him around, sliding in between the gaps of his jacket, biting at his bare skin. 

  
Annie was meeting him outside the cinema in a few minutes, but Armin had arrived slightly early due to his nerves, and had been standing awkwardly around the entrance for a little while. Then, he felt a hand on his arm, and he looked around and saw the girl he was waiting for, smiling softly up at him. She was clad full in winter gear - a puffy jacket, mittens, a scarf, and even a cute little white beanie with a fluffy bobble. She looked _adorable_. Seeming to notice his stare, Annie blushed slightly, cheeks matching her red-from-the-cold nose.

“Don’t judge, I get really cold really easily…”

Armin chuckled. “It’s okay, you look cute. Shall we go in then?”

Still blushing, she nodded, and he gently took her mitten-clad hand and led her up the stairs into the cinema. 

The day before, when they returned to gym - after having the sense to stop holding hands before they entered - Annie was immediately assaulted by Hitch, who was clearly asking for details of their conversation. Armin just smiled and returned to the pitch, knowing how nosy the other girl could be, no matter how well she meant. 

That afternoon, after waving discreetly to her by her locker before she went home, Armin sent her a text.

_To_ _Annie_

_-hey! still good to go out on the weekend?_

  
  


_-yeah, i’m good for then_

  
  


_-cool! i’m looking forward to it! :))_

  
  


_-me too.._

_ <3 _

So now here they were in the cinema, lining up to buy tickets for ‘Chaos Walking’, which was based on a book series Armin had read, but Annie had not. Armin looked down at her as she pulled her mittens off, before lacing her fingers properly with his. Her hand was so small, but it fit almost perfectly into his. 

“Snacks?” he asked her when after they got their tickets. Annie’s eyes lit up, and she began nodding enthusiastically, before hesitating and ducking her head.

“Oh,” she mumbled, “I would, but Dad only really gave me enough money for the ticket, and- “

Armin leant down and kissed her cheek, startling her out of her words. He smiled at her. “It’s okay Annie, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t buy your snacks for you?”

She blushed at that. He noticed she had a habit of ducking her head when embarrassed - it was a bit like how he couldn’t help rubbing the back of his neck when he was nervous or flustered. It was endearing. As was Annie’s enthusiasm when she saw the plethora of snacks on display, and she spent a good minute staring at the display, assumedly trying to figure out what she wanted. She decided on a bag of skittles, some caramel M&M’s, and a vanilla coke. Armin just got some popcorn and a coke, and happily paid for it all. 

The doors to their cinema were already open, and Armin and Annie made for some seats near the back, settling comfortable next to each other. While Annie found a place to put all of her snacks, Armin settled the popcorn in between them. As more people milled into the theatre, Armin felt his phone buzz.

_From Eren Yeager_

_-dude, are you actually going to tell me who ur going out with??_

Armin chuckled lightly. He had mentioned that he had a date to Eren, but, figuring that Annie wouldn’t want to be outed so soon, he didn’t tell his friend who exactly he was going with. All he said was that it was a girl in their year. 

His fingers tapped out a response.

  
  


- _yeah, i will eventually, promise :)_

_-you’d better!!_

  
  


Armin glanced back over at Annie, who looked at him questioningly.

“Oh, it’s just Eren, wondering who I’m with,” Armin explained.

“Are you going to tell him?”

He reached over and tapped his fingers against her hand. “Only if you want me to…”

Annie hummed, catching his fingers in hers, squeezing each digit slightly. Then, the lights dimmed and the ads began to play. They fell silent, turning to the screen, fingers still touching.

Armin wished he could say that he paid attention to the movie, but he had been too entranced with watching Annie from the corner of his eye to be able to claim that. He was enamoured by her; the way her light steel-blue eyes glowed in the darkness of the theatre; the way she never let go of his hand, even when she struggled to eat handfuls of three different snacks at the same time; the way her head gently rested on his shoulder when the movie came to an end. 

By the time the credits started to roll, Armin’s cheek was pressed against her hair, and he had to shake himself out of the sleepy stupor he had lulled into. Annie seemed to have properly fallen asleep, and it took a couple of squeezes of Armin’s hand to wake her up. She sat up quickly, blinking, before glancing up at him and grinning sheepishly. He smiled back.

“I fell asleep… sorry.”

“Awh, it’s okay Annie,” Armin said, “You were too cute to wake up, anyway.”

She ducked her head, the rising light in the room revealing her red cheeks. She stretched slightly, groaning. She looked around at all the wrappers she still had, and made to pick them up, letting go of his hand for the first time since the movie started. 

They made their way out into the harsh afternoon light, and blinking, Armin stretched his arms above his head, feeling his back pop. 

“Do you wanna go to the park and hang there?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

They walked hand in hand towards the centre of town, not really caring if anyone from school saw them anymore. Trost Park sat in the middle of everything, really, and was a prime place for local drug dealers to sell their goods in an inconspicuous place. But, despite that, the park was very pretty, and had a number of hidden spots where one could not be super visible to the rest of the park-goers. 

Armin insisted on going to the playground, and they shared some precious, stupid moments together racing each other down slides, pushing each other ridiculously high on the swings, and earning many disapproving looks from the parents of the other children in the park, as they giggled and fell together after getting thoroughly dizzy from going way to fast on the spinner.

Sensing an incoming lecture from parents about ‘being a bad influence’, Armin led Annie to a spot under a large tree near the playground, where he often liked to sit and read in peace. Annie sat by the base of the tree, back supported by the trunk. She sat with her legs spread out slightly. She looked up at him, chewed at her lip, then patted the ground in between her legs. 

Armin crouched down, shuffling to fit himself in front of her. Unsure exactly what she wanted him to do, he felt her hands press into his shoulders and guide him down so his head sat in her lap. He was able to glance up and see her above him, a soft smile on her lips. He felt his eyes slip closed as her fingers gently ran through his hair, scraping his scalp in an intoxicating way. 

Annie stiffened slightly when he turned his head slightly, nuzzling into the plushness of her thigh, getting more comfortable. But she relaxed when he went no further, and continued to card her fingers through his blonde locks. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Annie leant over him and pressed her lips to his forehead. His eyes fluttered open, and he sat up slightly, catching her lips with his. 

Their lips moved against each other for a moment, and Armin felt a thrill run through him when she gently caught his bottom lip between her teeth, pulling it slightly before releasing it with the softest _smack._ He pressed his forehead up against hers.

“Armin?” she whispered. He hummed in acknowledgement.

“Do you wanna be my boyfriend?”

His heart leapt. 

“Yeah, I would love that.”

Her arms wrapped around him, tightening as she buried her face in his shoulder, the bobble of her beanie tickling his nose. She released him, smiling widely for the first time around him, and he snuggled back onto her lap, determined to have a nap, content.

***

Annie stared at the auditorium doors in apprehension. Armin had somehow forgotten his phone at their table during lunch, and now she had to track him down to his rehearsal after school to give it back to him. 

They hadn’t announced their relationship to anyone, but they weren’t exactly hiding it either; his closest friends noticed something immediately when he went to sit at her usual table during break, and Hitch had damn near had an aneurysm when Annie told her how the date went. 

Steeling herself, Annie pushed open the auditorium doors, getting greeted with a wave of sounds; singing, piano, and the sound of loud footsteps running back and forth across a wooden stage. As soon as she entered, Annie spotted Hitch and a group of other girls - _huh, she hadn’t realised that Mikasa also did theatre -_ and her friend waved at her. Annie wiggled Armin’s phone at her in explanation and Hitch nodded. The other girl pointed to the piano, where Annie spotted Armin leaning over the keys with Ms Ral, assumedly doing something singing-related.

Annie approached, and Armin’s face lit up when he saw her. 

“Annie!” he called out, waving, “Do you have my phone?” His shoulders slumped in relief when she held it out to him. “Thank you so much!”

To her surprise, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her. Annie heard a shriek behind her - _that_ was probably Hitch. Armin pulled away, grinning, before glancing at Ms Ral.

“Oh!” he said, “I think Ms Ral wanted to ask you something!”

Seemingly unfazed by their ‘teenage antics’, as some other teachers might put it, Ms Ral smiled warmly at Annie.

“Hi Annie,” she started, “I wanted to ask you something regarding the performance. I saw you did an amazing job on Armin’s hair, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to help out as our main hair stylist? It would really be such a great help if you could?”

Annie blinked. Main hairstylist for the musical? She wasn’t really the social type to volunteer for this kind of stuff. She glanced at Armin, finding him looking at her eagerly. Suddenly, she couldn’t find it into herself to say no. 

Nodding slowly, keeping her eyes on Armin, Annie agreed. “Yeah, I guess I could do that…”

“Excellent!” Ms Ral exclaimed, clapping. “I’ll let you know when we need you at rehearsals, thank you so much Annie! I promise you’ll have so much fun as part of the team!”

Annie glanced around her. Apart from Hitch and Armin, she didn’t really know the rest of the cast that well. They were all milling about, seeming to all alternate between yelling, singing, dancing, or just generally being chaotic.

_Just what had she gotten herself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was chapter two!! hope y'all enjoyed it, i'm looking forward to this little series! this was just a cute little fluffy one, but i promise there'll be more serious 'plot' things happening soon
> 
> feedback and suggestions are always welcome!!
> 
> thanks for reading!


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